Rhythm

Rhythm seems to be that inner vibration that lives in your soul. Truly feeling rhythm takes a level of relaxation, and although we can frequently control our pace, rhythm is a bit different.

One day, during one of my many jobs, I was plastering a ceiling. The guy doing construction beside me was sharing his musical dreams and aspirations. He desperately wanted to be a rock star. He told me he played with a band and was releasing a CD. After work, he was heading off to the recording studio. I asked him how he began playing music. He said, “When I was a little boy, my uncle’s friend gave me a drum lesson.” I responded, “Really? I’m taking trumpet lessons. I’m working on getting an understanding of playing with rhythm.” After we spoke about all the principles his uncle’s friend had taught him, Max’s conclusion arose — “You can’t play rhythm. You can only feel it.” Suddenly, I was interrupted by some plaster that fell on my face, so we went back to work. Later, I asked, “Who’s your uncle’s friend?” “He is a jazz drummer who lives in Brooklyn,” he said. I responded, “I’m living in Brooklyn, and I follow jazz. What is his name?” “His name is Max,” he said. I replied, “Max? Max who?” “Max Roach,” he said. “You heard of him?” That moment could not have been any better. My smile was so big, it cracked the now dried plaster on my face. To me and many others, Max Roach is one of the greatest jazz drummers ever, and now whenever I think about rhythm, I think about the late, great Max Roach saying: "You can’t play rhythm. You can only feel it."

Everyone has the power to feel rhythm naturally. Some use drugs and alcohol to get to the level of relaxation that reaches rhythm. The thing to note when one makes this choice is that it often alters the natural inner vibration. So, in exchange for this choice, we forfeit some control over our pace and, more importantly, our mind. This is in addition to introducing another need — the substance we chose to consume.

Regardless of how we choose to feel a sense of rhythm, we will still confront rhythm’s nemesis. Who is this “evil-doer” who dares to go up against the powers of rhythm? (Sorry for the superhero wording, but I cannot help it when I use the word “nemesis or “evil-doer.”) Rhythm’s nemesis is pressure. The more pressure in a situation, the less chance to feel rhythm.

Every time I leave my apartment and head to radiation, the pressure builds. As much as I try to control it, it still seems to start. I fight it on every trip. But over and over, I keep hearing this conversation between my mind and my body.

My BODY says: “I can’t take any more of this. Why are you doing this to me?”

My MIND responds: “Work with me here. This all makes sense. The X’s and O’s say this is what shall be done.”

My SPIRIT interrupts: “You two keep quiet, because I know how much we all love life, and what is happening now will hopefully give us each more days to live.”

Almost all pressure starts from the inside and is self-imposed. But what else do we possess inside ourselves that can repel this feeling of pressure that is constantly battling rhythm? We can have faith, courage, discipline, and a willingness to learn, so we can build a level of confidence and be able to trust a pace that is unfamiliar to us. If we can do this in any environment or situation, we will be able to just “feel the rhythm.”